Your Humble Scribe

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Sorry

Sorry about the lack of posts, but my Sheriff announced he isn't running for re-election, which has led to a horde of folks deciding that they've always wanted to be Sheriff.Of the five current contenders for the position, I've gotten cross-threaded with four of them.Looks like there's a pretty good chance the ol' 'Dog is going to be moving onto greener pastures. Something I've probably needed to do for a while now -- but it still kind of bums me out a bit -- and said bumming isn't conducive to a writing frame of mind.LawDog

Sorry to hear that. Whenever I've had something like this happen in my life, I've ended up somewhere that I like better than where I was. Most recently, it prompted a 1000-mile move to somewhere I've never even visited. It's tough letting go of the familiar and adult security blankets, but I find that things work out for the best if you let yourself go with the opportunities presented to you.

If I didn't think even you'd be outnumbered, I'd be selfishly urging you to come up here to run the "less than ideal law enforcement leadership" out of town.

Barring that, I hope you throw your hat in the race. As someone else said - there are worse things to be than a Texas Sheriff, retaliating against former political competitors is usually frowned on (a bit of a buffer while you jobshop should some of these others win), and finally, even if you didn't win - wouldn't running show your innate drive to succeed on a resume? *grin*

And I agree with Ambulance Driver - if all else fails, with your skills, you should be able to pay the bills with your writing.

And besides, we still await the conclusion of the Pink Gorilla story...

It could be worsse, bro. Two of those five could be mama and Opal.... er... they AREN'T two of the five, are they?

Don't sweat it much. Much as I'd like to see you run (FINALLY knowing that there are actual, line mentality types running the show SOMEWHERE); You don't strike me as the sort to throw your hat into that ring, any more than any other true-to-form line guys would.

Short of that drastic move on your part, though, I wouldn't worry too much about changing jobs. Yeah, it sucks starting over somewhere else; BUT, a learned gentleman of your calibre would find, I believe, that change refreshing, from an intellectual standpoint.

Then again, you did say that at least one of those chaps hadn't been forehead to brim with you. So, maybe there is hope yet about your current job/seniority?

Maybe, if you like HIS/HER politicing enough, you could use your god-given/bush-honed skills with the pen and lobby like mad for that one?

I sympathize man. Our second shift plant supervisor quit without notice because of the BS, and monday when I showed up the plant manager called a meeting and basically said "Grau is in charge... have a good night".

I've gained 45 pounds this week in sharpened bits of steel stuck into my back. I didn't expect any less, but it's still depressing.

Sometimes, the sheriff elect is the biggest ass-licking pompous word merchant. No real qualificatiions, but the gift of the gab. The result is a group of deputies that muddle through their job, but the best leave and the worst become tin-horn terrorists.

Sometimes, like in a local county, you get a sheriff with an eye for the twinks at the truck stop. Favors or jail - your choice. Of course, there was the supplemental income from the meth labs. The feds crashed the party and the sheriff was given an all expense paid stay in the cross-bar hotel.

I feel for you LawDog although you probably have better survival skills than a pissed off alligator and the sympathy is wasted.

Hey Dawg,Move east and be an unclear operator. Pay runs to 60K a year and you don't have to carry a gun. Course theres South Texas Project, Comanche Peak if you wanted to stay in Texas. Housing in Hurricane Alley is high.

If I lived in Texas, I'd vote for you. I survived a forced move 12 years ago when my supervisor decided she hated my guts and tried to have me fired. Eventually she was fired. I had a Schadenfreude fest.

I immediately wondered why you didn't run for sheriff, too, as others have said here? Whatever you decide to do, any place would be lucky to have you. But then I told you I'd vote for you a long time ago. You make it sound like you're sorta ready to move on, anyway.

Dog, I know that you are a might partial to small town life, And I certainly don't fault you for that. But down here in Houston, we are a few hundred good men shy of what we need. There is currently a pretty steep bounty being offered for new recruits, and I understand the benefits are top notch as LEO work goes. Unfortunately, we are also chock-a-block full of arse-kissing bureaucrats running the joint too. ya have to take the bad with the good I guess. Knowing how you feel about idiots and fools, I can also see that working seriously against you. But if you could put up with the BS, you could always look at getting some acreage up near Magnolia or Tomball or Katy and ALMOST feel like you are still in a small town.

Lawdog, if I can judge character at all from what a man writes, anyone who gets cross-threaded with you shouldn't be sheriff. I suspect you aren't running yourself simply because you don't want to be in the office working on the budget while others are out enforcing the law...

Been there, too. Left a career of 16 years due to "changes at the top" causing exhaustion at the bottom (me). Actually, I left abt. 6 months before I'd have been forced to "resign".

Perhaps it is time to hang out your own shingle. I can just see it now: LawDog's Peace-keeping & Trouble-shooting Service. Coupon night for Senior Citizens & Kittens in Distress. (Pink Gorilla Suit Optional)

One thing is certain in every Texas sheriff's race: when it's all over, there will be a new chief deputy, and at least half of the candidates will be fired, demoted, or put on crap details so that they quit.

Come to Northeast Texas, 'Dog. Or move to New Hampshire: you could have Massad Ayoob for your captain!

The rural sheriffs dept in the town in which i work actually pays very well. They REQUIRE somthing like 4 years of experience as a patrol officer or deputy minimum. But they pay around 45k a year base. maybe it wouldn't be too bad to look for greener pastures....just keep up the blog.

LD doesn't want to spend money he doesn't have on the risky proposition of drumming up support for a fifth of a race that is guaren-damned-teed to go to run-off (Which might as well be a second election, so far as resources are concerned.).

LawDog speaks openly of what he sees right and what he sees wrong; what about that sounds like he'd make a good politician, to you??!?

Heck, Dog, just collect a bunch of your best stories into one manuscript, submit it to a publisher of humor, and spend the rest of your life living off royalties. You might even try two manuscripts. Compile those of your law enforcement days into a collection of Lawdog stories and those of your Nigerian childhood into a Lawless Pup book.